Two in Three

The title represents Two Shows in Three Days. Much like my initial post on this blog where I saw two concerts a few days apart last November, earlier this month it happened again. I have not been to a music show since November when I saw Yes so I was long overdue.

On Friday, 8/7/09 I drove to Asbury Park, NJ to see a band that in my opinion is one of the best, if not the best band in the past 20 years, Dream Theater. OK, I know if you are ready this you are probably saying, "Who?" or "I never heard of them". If that is the case, well... now you have heard of them and I suggest you check them out.

(the tour bus front window)

Start here with a live performance of the first song I ever heard from them in '92, Pull Me Under. Then there is this instrumental called Erotomania. Or try a drum solo by Mike Portnoy, one of my top 5 favorite drummers ever.

I love their style, talent and their ability to take me on a journey via any CD of theirs that I own.

(Convention Hall/Paramount Theater)

(Convention Hall Marquee)

The show was "Progressive Nation 2009", the venue Convention Hall at Asbury Park, a new venue for me and a pretty cool spot to see a show. Although the acoustics were not optimal the sound improved as the night went on.

There were three opening acts, two of which I had not heard of. The first was Scale the Summit from Houston, TX. They were young and talented guys whose (strictly instrumental) style reminded me a bit of Eric Johnson meets King Crimson, I liked it.

The second band was called Big Elf from Los Angeles. They brought me back to my youth, LOL, reminding me a bit of Deep Purple with a heavy edge leaning towards Black Sabbath. Their singer/keyboardist would likely be the product of Ian Gillian and Jon Lord having a son. He had a powerful voice and rocked the keyboards center stage.

Next on was Zappa Plays Zappa. Yup, Dweezil Zappa and company doing a lot of Frank's stuff, they played about 70 minutes or so. A lot of talent on stage and lots of solos.

(Dream Theater, full stage shot)

Finally Dream Theater took they stage, for those who don't know, they are from Long Island, NY. I was in awe as the curtain fell and they opened with the first two tracks from their new release, A Nightmare to Remember & A Rite of Passage from "Black Clouds & Silver Linings"... incredible! I think they were 40 minutes into the show before they finished their fourth song. This band is not a #1 single, pop-hit machine... if you can't stay with a song, they may not be for you. But, if you love talented musicians playin' their asses off for your enjoyment, buy a ticket next time they are around... you will not regret it!

(the 3 shots below were take with my little camera thru my binoculars, LOL) (John Petrucci)

(John Myung and Jordan Rudess)

(Mike Portnoy)

The next day I did a sound job for a local band that I used to play with, Good Time Charlie... and well, it was a good time :)

Then, on Sunday 8/9/09, my girl and I drove out to Hershey, PA to see CREED. Yes, CREED. They are back, original members and a new CD on the way in October I believe. I won tickets for this show from WZZO just a few days earlier so we worked it into an already busy weekend.

I had seen CREED back in '02 at Hershey Stadium, when they were pretty much on top of the world. They had put on a great show and I enjoyed them then. This time they played the smaller, Hershey Star Pavilion, the second or third show on their tour and it was a full house. There were two opening bands, we missed the first one and the second one did not leave a lasting impression.

CREED played many of their hits you would expect and they sounded really good. They added a second guitarist although I cannot find him on their website. Early on, Scott Stapp noticeably struggled with one song, Say I, aside from that he handled the set pretty well. Overall they sounded pretty good and the stage show was great, lights, fire, video... it was on! They played one song, Overcome, from the forthcoming CD "Full Circle" - the link is to video footage from the Hershey show.

It was a very long and very musical weekend. I may not get to see shows too often anymore, but if I can keep seeing two in a week when I do... well, i can live with that!

Black & Whites - Something to Share

Recently..... I have been quite busy, with a few too many irons in the fire and unable to really devote time to this blog.

Currently..... I am working night shift and I spend much of my time off trying to catch up on rest and take care of me.

I have shot so many new photos in the past few months, nearly 1,000 if not more. I have hardly had the time to sort through them to decide on the keepers. I have worked with a few and am really pleased with some of the luck I have had when trying to shoot.

Below I have a couple of newer black & whites I have done along with some of my favorite black & whites from the past two years.

If you would like to see more, please let me know. Thank you!

Blairstown, NJ - ('09)

Blairstown, NJ ('09)







Along the Buskill - Easton, PA ('09)







Room for ME? ('09)

Ducks were Here ('09)

Not in Kansas Anymore ('08)

Summer Bridge ('07)

Early to Rise ('08)

Along the Buskill - Easton, PA ('09)

Quiet Cove - Merrill Creek Resevoir, NJ ('09)

Old Church - Fort Washington, PA ('07)

Towering Dead - Jacobsburg State Park, PA ('07)

Belvidere Bridge ('07)

In the past seven days.....

I have been to two concerts. Both were very different from each other, very different.

Saturday night I attended a show at Croc Rock with my girl and a group of friends. We saw Rev Theory, Trapt and Hinder - all three very loud, modern rock bands.

After waiting in line halfway around the block to get into the club we finally got inside. There was an unlisted opening band and I am not sure who it was as we missed them entirely. Soon after entering the packed venue, Rev Theory came out. Although I never heard of them I thought they were really good. I have since heard them on the radio and may buy the cd.

(taken with my cell phone)

Trapt (above), after overcoming initial guitar technical difficulties, put on a really good show and sounded tight and polished. They had a lot of energy and crowd loved them. I found it somewhat disheartening that they were opening for Hinder. I had seen Trapt a few years earlier opening for Seether (@ Croc) and I thought they were really good then. Here they were, opening again..... the nature of the biz I suppose.

(taken with my cell phone)

Hinder (above) took the stage and the over-heated crowd went wild. They opened with their recent hit, "Use Me". The band sounded great, light show was awesome for a smaller venue and the crowd ate it up. For me personally, I could not stay in the room through the whole show..... it was way too hot and uncomfortable. I later described the feeling as being like 'sardines in a sauna.' We got out of there before they were totally done to beat the traffic mess getting out of there. It was a good show but we had had enough.

So as a result of a conversation that night I was able to acquire a pair of tickets for my second show of the week, YES (below) at the Sovereign Center in Reading. I did say two very different shows. I had never been to this venue before so I had no idea what to expect. I had seen Yes 20 years earlier at Stabler Arena with Trevor Rabin on guitar. This time it was Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White, Oliver Wakeman (Rick's son) and Benoit David (their new singer). I took a long time friend of mine who I knew loves the band and I owe him a favor, possibly hundreds more.

(taken with my cell phone)

To say they were awesome would be an understatement if ever there was one. Benoit David is no doubt genetically linked to Jon Anderson as he steeped into his shoes perfectly. The genetic link of the younger Wakeman to his father was quite apparent as well. He played everything as if he had written it, he did a beautiful job. Steve Howe and Chris Squire both performed some of their solo material, a song or two, which were great as well.

The venue, the Sovereign Center in Reading, was incredible. I had no idea I was going to see Yes in a theater environment! I was one row from the last row and was able to clearly see facial expressions of everyone on stage.... from the comfort of my seat. I would recommend seeing a show there to anyone who has never been there, it is a great venue.

They performed Siberian Khatru, All Good People, Tepus Fugit, Onward, Astral Traveller, Close to the Edge, Parallels, And You and I, Long Distance Runaround / the Fish, Machine Messiah, Starship Trooper & Roundabout. There was also in there an Alan White drum solo - quite impressive, a Steve Howe acoustic solo which was beautiful. I may have missed a song or two but I don't think so other than the Squire solo number. Steve Howe's acoustic solo was actually two of his solo tracks, names unknown.

So to sum it up.... two shows in a weeks time. I felt a little old at one and among the younger at the other, LOL I have come to the decision that I prefer a show that when I but a ticket it comes with a seat. I don't mind it loud and rockin, I just prefer to sit and enjoy it rather than fight for position on the floor and stand there all night. When I was in my teens-20's I loved being pressed against the barricade at the Allentown Fairgrounds, not anymore.

See the link below for proof of my barricade hugging days....

http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i78/ItzMeDave1/Slideshows/?action=view&current=accba41f.pbw

All photos in the slde show were taken by me as a young teen with a JCPenney 110 camera.

I wanted to post the slide show here but I couldn't quite figure it out, oh well!